Proposed change in form of government splits Griswold selectmen

Griswold selectmen are divided on how to proceed when it comes to a possible change to a town manager form of government and the adoption of a town charter.

By ALISON SHEA

The Bulletin

By ALISON SHEA

Posted Mar. 9, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 9, 2013 at 9:02 AM

By ALISON SHEA

Posted Mar. 9, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 9, 2013 at 9:02 AM

Griswold, Conn.

Griswold selectmen are divided on how to proceed when it comes to a possible change to a town manager form of government and the adoption of a town charter.

Selectmen at a special meeting Thursday discussed the results of their review of a packet of information provided by First Selectman Philip Anthony. Anthony has advocated for the change and said he hopes to see it go to a referendum at some point.

Anthony said Thursday after the meeting that he hoped moving to a system where the town’s chief administrator is hired, rather than elected, would “take the politics out of it.”

In order to make the change, Griswold would need to adopt a town charter that outlines how the government would function. The charter would have to be approved by residents. Currently, the town operates under state statute and its own code of ordinances.

Griswold has had a selectman-town meeting form of government since the town was established in 1815. When it comes to changing that, selectmen Steven Mikutel and Donald Hill said they’re open-minded, but they want to hear more from residents.

Both said they hadn’t fully reviewed the inch-thick packet of information Anthony gave them, which included information about the town manager system of government in the similar-sized Connecticut towns of Coventry, Derby, East Hampton and Plymouth.

Mikutel said the information appeared to come from the Connecticut Council of Municipalities.

So far, Mikutel said, he hasn’t seen any demand for a change from anyone other than Anthony and Kevin Skulczyck, a Republican and the only declared candidate for first selectman who has made the change the center of his campaign.

“No one’s come to me about it and said, ‘Let’s look into it.’ The way to gauge whether or not there’s any traction is to talk about it in public,” Mikutel said. “Let them (Anthony and Skulczyck) debate the issue and see what kind of traction it gets from the public. If it gets some real traction, then I would support setting up a committee to explore it further down the line. But for now, that’s premature.”

Hill said he would support setting up a committee now to look into the issue, including any additional costs.

“I’d like to see a bipartisan committee review towns similar to Griswold, and towns that have had town managers in the past but got rid of them for one reason or another. I want to know everything before I jump into it,” Hill said.

A bipartisan research committee was what Skulczyck suggested when he made a presentation to selectmen late last month. On Friday, Skulczyck said he supported the selectmen’s request for more information.

“The one in power right now wants to control the change, and that’s not how the system works,” Skulczyck said. “It’s got to be the people of this town who make the right decision — and this may not be the right decision for this town — but at some point, after discussions and maybe a town meeting, we’ve got to get the town together to make that work.”